How to Use Microsoft Copilot in Word and Excel

What is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It can help you draft documents, summarise long reports, analyse spreadsheet data, and create presentations — all from a simple text prompt.

Think of it as a helpful colleague who can do the first draft for you, saving you time on repetitive tasks.

Note: Copilot requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, which is an add-on to your existing Microsoft 365 subscription. Check with your IT team or administrator if you are unsure whether your account has access.

Using Copilot in Microsoft Word

Drafting a New Document

• Open a new blank document in Word
• You will see the Copilot icon in the toolbar, or a Copilot prompt will appear on the page
• Click the Copilot icon or the prompt
• Type what you want to create, for example:

- "Write a professional email to a client explaining our new service hours" - "Draft a return-to-office policy for a small business" - "Create a meeting agenda for a quarterly team review"

• Click Generate
• Review the output and click Keep it to insert it, or Regenerate for a different version

Rewriting or Improving Text

• Select the text you want to improve
• Click the Copilot icon that appears near the selection
• Choose an option:

- Rewrite — rephrases the text in a different style - Make it more formal / Make it more casual - Make it shorter / Make it longer

Summarising a Document

• Open a long document
• Click the Copilot icon in the toolbar
• Type: "Summarise this document"
• Copilot will produce a concise summary of the key points

This is useful for catching up on long reports, proposals, or policies without reading every page.

Using Copilot in Microsoft Excel

Analysing Data

• Open a spreadsheet with data in it (Copilot works best when your data is in a formatted table)
• Click inside your data table
• Click the Copilot icon in the toolbar
• Ask a question about your data, for example:

- "What were the total sales for January?" - "Which product had the highest revenue?" - "Show me the trend in expenses over the last 6 months"

• Copilot will generate an answer, often with a chart or formula

Creating Formulas

Instead of remembering complex Excel formulas, ask Copilot:

• Click in the cell where you want the formula
• Open Copilot and type:

- "Calculate the average of column B" - "Find the highest value in the Sales column" - "Add a column that calculates profit margin"

• Copilot will insert the correct formula for you

Formatting Data

You can also ask Copilot to:

• "Highlight all rows where the value is above $10,000"
• "Sort this table by date"
• "Add conditional formatting to show overdue items in red"

Important: Format Your Data as a Table First

Copilot works best when your data is in an Excel Table (not just cells with data). To format your data as a table:

• Click anywhere in your data
• Press Ctrl + T (or Cmd + T on Mac)
• Confirm the range and click OK

Using Copilot in PowerPoint

Creating a Presentation

• Open a new blank presentation
• Click the Copilot icon
• Type what you need:

- "Create a presentation about our Q1 results" - "Build a 5-slide overview of our cybersecurity policy"

• Copilot will generate slides with suggested content and layouts

Improving Existing Slides

• "Add a slide summarising the key takeaways"
• "Make this slide more visual"
• "Reorganise these slides into a better flow"

Using Copilot in Outlook

Drafting Emails

• Click New Email in Outlook
• Click the Copilot icon in the email body
• Describe what you want to write:

- "Reply to this email agreeing to the meeting time and confirming I will bring the report" - "Write a follow-up email to a client we have not heard from in two weeks"

• Review and edit the draft before sending

Summarising Email Threads

• Open a long email thread
• Click Summary by Copilot at the top of the thread
• Copilot will provide a brief summary of the conversation so far

This is helpful when you have been away and need to catch up on a discussion quickly.

Tips for Getting Better Results

Be specific. Instead of "write something about IT", try "write a 200-word summary of why small businesses should use cloud backup, aimed at business owners with no technical background."

Give context. Tell Copilot who the audience is, what tone you want, and how long the output should be.

Edit the output. Copilot gives you a strong first draft, but you should review and adjust it before sending. Check facts, update figures, and make sure it sounds like you.

Try again. If the first result is not quite right, click Regenerate or adjust your prompt. Small changes to your request can produce significantly different results.

Privacy and Data

Copilot uses the same security and compliance boundaries as your Microsoft 365 environment. It can only access files and data that you already have permission to view. It does not share your data with other users or train on your business content.

Troubleshooting

Copilot icon not showing up

• Your Microsoft 365 plan may not include Copilot — check with your IT administrator
• Make sure you are using the latest version of the Microsoft 365 desktop apps
• Copilot may not be available in the web versions of all apps yet

Results are not relevant

• Be more specific in your prompt
• Make sure your data is well-organised (especially in Excel)
• Try breaking complex requests into smaller steps

Copilot is slow or not responding

• Check your internet connection
• Close and reopen the application
• Try again in a few minutes — the service may be experiencing high demand

Need Help?

If you need help setting up or using Microsoft Copilot for your team, contact helpdesk@netlumait.com.au or call 1300 521 162.